Celtics able to start resting early

The Boston Celtics' plane bound for Florida was due to depart at 11:45 p.m. on Thursday, throwing off their overnight rest schedule.

Good thing for the Celtics they were able to get a head start on their rest while going against the New York Knicks earlier in the evening.

Faced with playing back-to-back games at home and in Miami, the Celtics made quick work of the woeful Knicks and got their key players plenty of bench time.

That should help tonight when they face the Heat (8:05; TV: Comcast SportsNet and ESPN; radio: WEEI-850 AM).

The Celtics demolished the Knicks, 104-59, recording the sixth largest margin of victory in franchise history. The 45-point loss tied for the third-worst ever by the Knicks, who trailed by as many as 52 points and looked like a Sunday morning pickup team.

It was an embarrassing performance by the Knicks, who were saved from setting the franchise record for fewest points when Nate Robinson hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Kevin Garnett had to play just 23 minutes and scored only eight points, stopping his NBA-leading streak of 411 straight games in double figures, the seventh-best stretch in league history.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, who scored 21 points each, also played less than 30 minutes, giving the Celtics a breather before tonight's game in Miami and Sunday afternoon's game against Cleveland.

“If you ever go into a back-to-back situation,” said Allen, “this is an ideal situation for us to be able to spread the minutes around where you don't have to have a lot of guys on the floor playing extended minutes.

“It's still one helluva flight to go down to Miami from here. But it's the NBA, we get paid to do this so we'll be ready (tonight).”

Garnett couldn't recall the last time he was lifted out of a game so early (with 5:47 to go in the third quarter), though Pierce joked it was two years ago when the Celtics routed his Minnesota Timberwolves.

“I can't even remember having that type of rest,” said Garnett, who took just five shots but had 11 rebounds. “Paul said it before the game, if we can come in here and jump on these guys early we know our schedule, we know we have a back-to-back, it was especially important at this time.

“I think we came in motivated and energetic. We did a great job of once we had them down, we continued to step on them and continued to go. It was one of those games our team needed.”

No Miller time:

Reggie Miller, who nearly came out of retirement to join the Celtics last summer, was courtside, working with the TNT broadcast team of Mike Fratello and Marv Albert.

The Celtics tried to lure Miller back to the NBA to play a reserve role, but he declined, despite the efforts of Kevin Garnett.

Coach Doc Rivers met Miller and the rest of the TNT crew in his office for a pregame meeting and tried to make another pitch.

“He said no again,” said Rivers. “I love Reggie. It's not going to happen, but I jokingly asked. I told him Tony (Allen) wasn't playing and we had time.”

National exposure:

The Celtics were on TNT at home for the first time since April 10, 2003, when Danny Ainge was doing the color commentary, one month before he was hired to run Boston's basketball operation … In addition to being on ESPN tonight when they face the Heat, their Dec. 19 home game against the Detroit Pistons has been switched to 7 p.m. for ESPN.

“It's nice to be wanted again,” said Rivers. “It's not like we've been on a whole bunch lately.” … Tony Allen, who injured his thigh in Charlotte last Saturday night, missed his second game and will not play against the Heat.